Volcom Pipe Pro: Day 2 Highlights

http://www.youtube.com/embed/_7YfOnb163sVolcom Pipe Pro: Day 2 Highlights
Instead of the usual three-to-the-beach style of reporting, here are a few moments and characters that caught my eye today at the Volcom Pipe Pro… For up to the minute updates right off the beach, check out our Twitter and Instagram (@transworld_surf) feeds.

Oliver Says Ouch!
Florida’s Oliver Kurtz had a rough go this morning at Pipeline. Just a few minutes into his heat, he had a two-wave hold down, got smashed against the reef, suffered a concussion, and got nipped by Billy Kemper at the last second, ending his Volcom Pipe Pro campaign. He was rattled and physically shaking when I talked to him but was able to walk off under his own power. There’s a reason they call the dudes in this contest “warriors”…

Gavin Gillette
“No matter how big or small it is, I always feel like I’m going to throw up before a heat,” said Gavin Gillette before he paddled out. The Kauai surfer locked into some great waves at Backdoor en route to a round of 96 win over Yujiro Tsuji (4th), Flynn Novak (2nd), and Makua Rothman (3rd) and will live to fight (and maybe barf) another day at Pipeline.

Going Green At Pipeline
With the assistance of Tr3ees, the Volcom Pipe Pro is doing its part in recycling and composting the lunch scraps and trash created by the event. Even the forks that were given out at lunch break down in a compost pile!

Volcom Pipe Pro Wahine
While the crowds on the beach aren’t nearly as thick as you see during the Triple Crown, the talent is still there…

Volcom Pipe Pro On The Tube
It is so cool to be able to watch the contest live and on TV. It’s in HD here in Hawaii and available via Time Warner Cable. If you really had your shit together you’d DVR it and fast forward through the lulls, then again you’d miss TWS’ Chris Cote’s commentary so maybe it’s not such a great idea. Either way, it’s great to see it live from the comfort of your own couch—even if you’re posted up just down the beach from the comp like I was this morning.

The Bats And Zeke
No, that’s not one of the NFL Pro Bowl players with Volcom’s Jason Shibata, it’s Ezekiel Lau from the South Shore. Big Zeke tuned into Jason’s heat smarts and won his round of 96 heat. Coming off a pro junior win at Sunset Beach last week, Ezekiel is hitting his stride here at the Volcom Pipe Pro. Consider this kid a contender!

Insta Updates
This is the view from the channel this afternoon during the Volcom Pipe Pro. We hooked our photographer, Brent Bielmann, up with a LifeProof case for his iPhone this morning and he’s already outing it to good use. Between our Instagram @transworld_surf, twitter, and the live webcast, you can be in the middle of Kansas and still feel like you’re here on the North Shore.

Peruvian Powerhouse
Up until Chris Ward went ballistic later in the day, Peru’s Gabriel Villaran had the highest heat total of the day with a pair of long, draining tubes at Backdoor. The Peruvians are one of the oldest surfing tribes in the world and between Cristobal De Col and Volcom rider Miguel Tudela they make their presence here on the North Shore known by surfing incredibly well and always charging.

Parker Coffin
Volcom wildcard Parker Coffin was on a major roll at the Volcom Pipe Pro until he got steamrolled by fellow Californian Chris Ward—who went on an absolute rampage dropping nines like nobody else en route to the highest heat score of the day. Photo: Brent Bielmann with his LifeProof iPhone case.

A $130,000 5-star Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) event, the Volcom Pipe Pro still has two days of competition to run before crowning the 2012 champion. The defending champion is John John Florence (Hawaii), who will make his debut on the next day of surfing.

Carlos Munoz, 19, was the only surfer to post a perfect 10-point ride today, earning a bonus $1,000 for the ELECTRIC Pefect 10 award. He did it at Backdoor with an air-drop takeoff into a deep, long barrel that ran the full length of the break. The crowd erupted when he emerged through the curtain of water with fists pumping. His second high wave of 8.6 gave him a total of 18.6 points.

“This is one of my dreams and I’m so stoked to make the 10 and to make my heat as well,” said Munoz. “I felt like the wave was going to be a close-out but I just run, run, run the tube and I can get out. It’s amazing and I can’t believe it. I really don’t have words to explain. Amazing! I heard about the $1,000 before but I didn’t know that I was going to win it. I’m trying to get good scores here and then maybe I’ll start traveling to get points for the pro tour.”

Chris Ward, 33, who placed third in the final here last year, logged the highest heat score of the contest so far with a total of 19 points out of a possible 20. Counting a 9.57 and a 9.43 as his best two waves, Ward even had a third ‘throwaway’ wave of 9.0. “I haven’t really surfed since I injured my knee,” said Ward. “I surfed a couple of heats in China and then stayed off it until today. I guess it paid off because you get hungry and you want to catch good waves. I didn’t want to go on any bad waves and I guess it worked, I lucked out.

“I’ve been coming here to Hawaii since I was 12. Being around the local guys and the legends… learning from the best in good waves… you learn a lot surfing with your favorite surfers. Being out at Pipe when the conditions are good tests your ability. Any heats at Pipe are amazing – just three guys out, so I’m looking forward to more heats.” Peruvian Gabriel Villaran was the third-highest scorer today, with 17.07 points. He was rock solid on the lefts of Pipeline and is feeling confident of a good-showing this year.

“I made a final here in 2006, so I know what it takes to make it all the way,” said Villaran. “Today’s a great day and hopefully I keep the mojo going through the whole event. When the wave is big, I prefer to go left because I feel more secure. But if the right Backdoor wave comes to me, I’m not going to hesitate.”

On the local front, Hawaii’s Torrey Meister was the top scorer of the regular Pipeline chargers with 15.67 points. “Today it’s a little more manageable so I’m glad they decided to hold off yesterday,” said Meister. “I surf this wave a lot. I like Backdoor a lot and I felt like I could sit a little more wide and pick off a few. It worked. I want to get in the Pipe Masters and this qualifies you for it, and it’s an opportunity to surf Pipeline.”

Organizers will assess the conditions at first light tomorrow to determine if there will be an 8am start. Two more days of competition remain.

RESULTS: Surfers shown in order of 1st through 4th. Scores shown are based on each surfer’s best 2 rides and are out of a maximum 20 points.